Israel Hits Hezbollah Deep in Lebanon

Latest Developments

Israel carried out its longest-range attack on Hezbollah yet on March 26 after the Lebanese terrorist group launched missiles at a strategic northern base of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Israeli fighter jets struck a military compound, including a landing strip, used by Hezbollah’s aerial unit between Ras Baalbek and Hermel, more than 80 miles from the closest point on Israel’s border. Several Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon were also hit.

Earlier, Hezbollah had fired projectiles at the Israeli military’s air traffic control base on Mount Meron near the Israel-Lebanon border. Additionally, the Israeli military identified three anti-tank missile launches from Lebanon toward the northern Israeli community of Avivim, the IDF said. No injuries were reported in either incident. The strike caused no harm to the Mount Meron base’s capabilities, the IDF said. However, the rocket fire toward Avivim caused a fire and heavy damage to a winery.

The slow escalation of Hezbollah provocations and Israeli retaliation, along with so-far fruitless U.S.-led efforts at deconfliction, have spread concern that the Lebanese front could boil over as the war in Gaza appears to enter its final stretch. A poll published by the Israel Democracy Institute on March 26 found that 69 percent of the Israeli public thinks an imminent all-out war with Hezbollah is fairly or very likely.

Expert Analysis

“The Israeli military has been careful to calibrate its attacks on Hezbollah in a manner that exacts a cost — over 300 terrorists killed and significant infrastructure and weapons capability on and near the border destroyed — while not escalating the situation into a full-blown war. This opens up a path for American-led diplomacy but also positions Israel for a much larger military campaign when required.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“Hezbollah’s strike on Mount Meron in northern Israel is the latest attack by the Iranian-backed terrorist group targeting northern Israel. The attacks continue to spread terror along the border, where most Israeli communities have been forced to evacuate since Hezbollah began its attacks in October. Hezbollah must be deterred from further attacks, and Israel must be supported in its operations against the terrorist group.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

“Hezbollah remains steadfast in its approach to targeting Israeli military and civilian positions along the border, showing no signs of significant shifts in strategy. At the moment, Hezbollah is unlikely to expand its attacks against Israel as it perceives a weakening of Israel’s international support, particularly from the United States, in the Jewish state’s efforts to remove Hamas from Gaza.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Hezbollah Official Says It Is Stockpiling Munitions

The chief of Hezbollah’s Resources and Borders department, Sayyed Nawaf al-Mousawi, said Hezbollah is introducing new weapons and missiles as it fights Israel, according to a March 26 report in the pro-Iranian media outlet Al-Mayadeen. Mousawi also claimed that the Iranian-backed terrorist group was able to accumulate key weapons in storage facilities within a month’s time when it took more than six months in the past, the report said. Hezbollah has used rockets, anti-tank missiles, and drones to target Israel.

Related Analysis

“IDF: Hezbollah Stores Weapons in Lebanese Civilian Areas,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hezbollah Attack on Northern Israel Kills One, Injures Nine,” FDD Flash Brief

“Prospects for War With Hezbollah Drawing ‘Closer,’ Israeli Defense Minister Says,” FDD Flash Brief